Legacy 108: Smells Like Teen Spirit
by Dozo14
Summary: Henry Jr. and Payton discover a dark presence is targeting their classmates and set out to solve this mystery. But when Payton suddenly manifests a new power, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep their own magical secret hidden from their friends.
1. Chapter 1

Legacy 108: Smells Like Teen Spirit

Xxx

As the quarterback of the high school football team ran across the field to score a touchdown, the entire crowd on the bleachers cheered and screamed. Among them sat Payton Halliwell, who desperately wanted to be elsewhere on her Friday night. She had a big test to study for on Monday, which was the reason she had stayed home instead of going to Miami with her sisters. She did not want to be here, she did not care about football or these people, but her cousin Henry had dragged her to the game regardless. As she grabbed her phone, Payton suddenly heard the crowd scream in anger and looked the field. The quarterback was lying on the ground.

"What happened?" Payton asked as she nudged Henry.

"He got knocked down, an obvious foul, but the referee missed it." Henry explained.

"Can we go now?" Payton asked. "I hate football."

"You need to get out more, Payton." Henry replied. "I mean, seriously, I bet you don't even know most people here. You're like invisible to them."

"Just the way I like it. I don't like the whole high school hierarchy with the jocks and cheerleaders." Payton replied. "It's a cruel and unfair system."

"Not if you can work it." Henry replied with a wink.

"I'd rather graduate and get out of here forever." Payton said. "How long is this going to take?"

"Just a couple of more minutes." Henry replied.

Payton watched the field as the game picked up again, though she did not quite understand the rules. She heard someone call out Henry's name and turned around. She saw Isaac Harrison coming over. He was a friend of Henry and a rather flamboyant figure at the school, with bleach blond hair and an outspoken opinion on everything. He sat down next to them.

"Hey, what's up?" Henry asked.

"After party tonight at my house." Isaac said. "Well, my sister is throwing the party, but whatever. Are you coming?"

"At your house? With your sister?" Henry asked skeptically.

"Oh please, Melissa has forgotten all about your sleazy hook-up." Isaac remarked. "She had moved on to bigger and better things, literally. She is dating Tommy Jackson."

"Bigger?" Henry asked as he stared at the field and shrugged. "Guess so."

Payton looked at the field and saw Tommy, the quarterback who just got tackled. He was looking at one on the cheerleaders in front of the bleachers, Melissa. Naturally, she was a beautiful blonde with a perfect figure that Payton resented. They seemed perfect together, as they were both popular airheads. Tommy was the school bully, while Melissa was the head of the mean girls.

"So you are coming?" Isaac asked. "I got some new stash and baked some special brownies. Got it from this new girl."

"Wait." Payton asked shocked. "Are you talking about drugs?"

"It is not a big deal, Payton." Henry remarked while Isaac rolled his eyes. "It is just some weed, don't freak out or anything."

"I'm not freaking out." Payton said annoyed. "I just think it's very irresponsible."

"Whatever." Isaac replied. "Anyway, since my sister has people over, I invited a bunch of people as well, so it should be epic. You can even bring captain boredom over here."

"No, thank you." Payton said.

"So who is this new girl?" Henry asked.

"Oh, she is right over there." Isaac said.

Isaac pointed at the end of the bleachers and Payton and Henry followed his gaze. A girl with short black hair was sitting at the top of the bleachers. She was dressed in a leather jacket, a short skirt and leather boots, a typical punk chick. Payton was rather unimpressed, but Henry seemed to be captivated by her, since he could not keep his eyes of her. Payton guessed the girl was cute enough, though she did not really see the appeal.

"Is she coming to the party?" Henry asked.

"I invited her." Isaac replied.

"What do you know about her?" Henry asked.

"The name is Tess and she just moved here, that is all I know." Isaac replied. "And she has access to good weed."

"Oh, we're definitely coming to that party now." Henry remarked.

"Cool, see you there." Isaac replied as he got up and ran away.

"No." Payton said instantly as she noticed Henry looking at her. "No, I am not going."

"Oh, come on." Henry called out. "It is just a party."

"Then you go. I am going home." Payton said.

Payton got up and walked away. However, she stopped and looked around when the crowd started screaming. She looked at the field and saw the match was over, and Tommy was picking a fight with the rival team and the referee. Apparently, he did not agree with what had happened. He stormed off the field and knocked over a kid taking pictures for the school paper, breaking the camera.

Payton wanted to leave, but realized she had forgotten her bag. She turned around and knocked into one of the football players. She looked up and froze when she saw it was Sean Keller. He had short blond hair and brown eyes and was really hot. Payton had a crush on him for years, though he never seemed to notice her. They were in completely different leagues, as Sean was popular and Payton was anything but.

"Sorry." Sean said.

"No, it was my fault, I wasn't looking." Payton quickly said as her face turned red.

"You're Payton, right?" Sean asked.

"You know my name?" Payton asked surprised.

"Of course, don't we have a ton of classes together?" Sean replied with a smile. "Are you going to the Harrison house later?"

"Uh, I'm not sure." Payton replied.

"Well, I should hit the showers, but I hope to see you there." Sean replied before walking off.

When Sean left, Payton needed a minute to catch her breath. She felt like she had forgotten to breathe while talking to him. He knew who she was, he wanted her to come to the party. Could he really be interested in a wallflower like her? She knew she needed to go the party if she wanted to find out, but she felt nervous and scared. What if she would only make a fool of herself? She would never be able to show her face again. As she walked away, Payton was unaware of the fact that she briefly turned invisible.

Xxx

As the game had ended and everyone had either gone home or to the party, quarterback Tommy Jackson returned to the locker room after working off his frustration on a punching bag in the gym. They had lost the game, and it was all the referee's fault. When he got tackled, it was an obvious foul by the other team, but the referee missed it. Tommy got undressed and hopped under the shower. The most important game of the season, and it was all over. He should have been the star of the game, but instead he was made a fool of. Suddenly the warm shower turned ice cold and Tommy jumped out from under the stream.

"What the hell?" Tommy called out.

The stupid showers were malfunctioning again. Annoyed, Tommy grabbed his towel and headed to his locker, when suddenly a creepy high-pitched laugh echoed through the room.

"Is this some stupid joke?!" Tommy yelled. "Because it's not funny. Who is out there?"

There was no response, so Tommy decided to ignore it and get dressed. When he reached his locker, all the lockers suddenly flew open. Tommy froze and looked around. How was that possible?

"Alright, joke is over." Tommy called out annoyed.

Tommy finished getting dressed. When he grabbed his bag and headed to the door, it suddenly flew shut and locked. Tommy tried to get it open, but it wouldn't budge. He angrily slammed against the door. The creepy laugh sounded again and the lights flickered.

"Let me out! I am going to kick your ass!" Tommy yelled angrily.

The door opened with a squeak. Tommy stepped out and saw the hall was deserted. He took his bag and headed toward the exit, though he stopped when he felt a cold wind behind him. Tommy slowly turned around and saw a shadowy figure standing at the end of the hall. But its feet were not touching the ground. Tommy screamed and started running. The lockers on both sides of the hallway flew open and books flew out. The creepy laugh seemed to follow him.

"Help!" Tommy screamed.

Just when Tommy was about to reach the door, something tripped him and he hit the floor hard. The creepy laughing seemed all around him and he covered his ears. He tried to crawl up, but something grabbed his legs and dragged him back kicking and screaming.

Xxx

About an hour after the game, after stopping to get some food, Henry and Payton arrived at the party at the Harrison residence. Melissa and Isaac lived in a huge house, since their dad was a successful businessman. Luckily, this also meant their parents were never home. Henry was still surprised that Payton wanted to come after all, since this wasn't really her scene. They headed inside and Henry looked out for the mysterious new girl. There was something about her that caught his attention. Sadly, she was nowhere to be seen.

"Want a drink?" Henry asked over the loud music.

"Sure." Payton said.

They made their way to the kitchen, where a keg was standing on the bar. Henry grabbed two plastic cups and got drinks for them both. Payton unknowingly took a sip and nearly spat it out.

"This is beer!" Payton called out shocked.

"Of course." Henry replied. "Drink up."

At that moment, Isaac appeared between them and placed his arms around their necks. Henry had been friends with him since middle school. Right now, he was obviously high and a little drunk.

"You came!" Isaac said. "I'm so happy. Most people here are a drag."

"Of course." Henry replied.

"And you even brought little miss responsible." Isaac remarked.

"Hey, I am not that responsible!" Payton said.

"Well, you did skip on a few days to Miami to work on a report." Henry remarked with an eye roll.

"Are you kidding me?" Isaac asked with a frown. "You're like a total nerd. And look at the way you're dressed."

"What is wrong with my clothes?" Payton asked as she looked at her jeans and green vest.

"They're bland, sweetie. Totally boring." Isaac replied. "How is any boy supposed to notice you in that baggy thing?"

"It is comfy and warm." Payton said defensively. "That doesn't make me boring."

"You need a makeover." Isaac said. "Come on, isn't there a boy here that you want to impress?"

"Well…" Payton said nervously.

Payton looked across the room and Henry and Isaac followed her gaze. They noticed Sean Keller standing by the stairs talking to one of his teammates. Henry knew she had been crushing on him or some time now, though she did not know he knew.

"Nice choice." Isaac said with a smile. "That settles it, come on, we are going to raid my sister's closet. She has so many clothes she'll never notice."

Isaac grabbed Payton and ran off with her, leaving Henry alone holding their beers. He took a sip and looked around. He noticed the brownies Isaac mentioned, so he grabbed one and headed outside for some fresh air. As he stepped out, he accidentally bumped into this kid named Neal, who worked at the school paper. He wondered how a kid like him got invited to the party. He was probably crashing.

"Sorry." Henry said.

"No problem." Neal said before slipping inside.

When Henry stepped onto the terrace, he suddenly noticed the mysterious girl sitting in a garden chair while smoking a cigarette. She definitely looked beautiful and tough, like a girl who knew how to kick ass if she needed to. She was very hot and Henry realized he was gawking at her, so he quickly shook it off.

"Hey." Henry said as he walked over. "It's Tess, right?"

"Do I know you?" Tess asked.

"No, I'm a friend of Isaac's." Henry replied as he sat down. "So you're new?"

"Something like that." Tess replied.

"Brownie?" Henry asked as he held out a piece with his most charming smile.

"Sure." Tess said with a shrug as she accepted it and took a bite.

"So where are you from?" Henry asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Tess replied with a frown as she handed back the brownie.

"No reason, just want to get to know you." Henry replied. "Something wrong with that?"

"Well, typically guys are after something." Tess said. "And most of the times, it's the same thing. So are you after that as well?"

"I might be." Henry said smiling.

"I see." Tess replied as she pressed out her cigarette. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"I figured I'd get you a drink." Henry said. "We'll talk."

"Just talk?" Tess asked with a frown.

"Hey, I'm not that easy." Henry remarked.

Henry finished the brownie as Tess laughed. They got up and headed back into the house. As Henry opened the door, he suddenly got a weird feeling like someone was watching. He looked around the dark garden, but saw nothing. He shrugged it off and closed the door. A moment later, a floating figure appeared in the shadows and a creepy laugh sounded through the garden.

Xxx

As the organizer of the party, Melissa Harrison had to make sure everything was perfect. She did not want her party to become a disaster. That would be humiliating. She looked around and wondered where Tommy was, since he was supposed to be here already. She looked at her phone and saw she had a voicemail message from Tommy. She held the phone to her ear and listened.

"_Melissa. You have to help me! Something is after me_." Tommy's whispering voice sounded through the phone, following by a scream and some creepy laughter.

"Whatever, Tommy." Melissa said, believing it to be some stupid joke.

Melissa put the phone away and collected some empty cups. As she headed into the kitchen, she nearly bumped into someone. It was some weird, nerdy kid. She thought he worked for the school paper or something.

"What the hell are you doing here, geek?" Melissa asked. "This party is invite only! Get lost."

The kid looked scared and quickly ran away. Melissa shook her head and went to the kitchen. Just as she threw some cups in the trash, someone yelled at her to get some more wine. Annoyed with their rudeness, Melissa took the empty bottles and headed to the garage. What was the point of a party if all you get to do was work?

As she entered the garage, Melissa turned on the light and headed to the wine cabinet in the back. She'd get the cheap wine, or else her mother would kill her. Just as she reached for a bottle, the lights flickered. With the bottle in hand, she headed back to the door, but froze when she heard a creepy laugh. She turned around and suddenly saw a shadowy figure floating behind her. Melissa screamed and dropped the wine as the figure flew at her.

xxx


	2. Chapter 2

Legacy 108: Smells Like Teen Spirit

Part 2

Xxx

After heading upstairs, Payton was nervously pacing around in a large walk-in closet dressed in a beautiful little black dress. Even though she loved it, she worried it was too revealing and felt uncomfortable about the amount of skin she was showing. She wasn't the type of girl to wear dresses. It felt like something Penny would wear and it made her feel like a little girl dressing up as her big sister. As she looked in the mirror, she wondered if Sean would like it. As she stared at herself, the door opened and Isaac came in.

"Wow, you look amazing." Isaac said.

"Isaac!" Payton called out embarrassed. "You can't just barge in here. What if I was still changing?"

"Please." Isaac replied as he shook his head. "Like you have anything I'm interested in. But I'm serious, you look gorgeous."

"Do you really think so?" Payton asked shyly as she looked in the mirror again.

"Hell yeah." Isaac replied. "Where have you been hiding all these years? You're easily one of the cutest girls in school and nobody even realizes it because you dress like a nerd."

"I don't dress that bad." Payton replied.

"But you could do so much better." Isaac said.

"Why are you suddenly being nice to me?" Payton asked as she turned to him. "At school, you either ignore me or call me a boring goody-two-shoes."

"Well, I am a little drunk right now." Isaac replied.

"That's not it." Payton said.

"Alright, fine." Isaac remarked. "I guess I'm being nice because I'm glad you're here. I don't have that many friends, you know. People tolerate me because Melissa is my sister, but to most of them, I am just that weird gay kid. You'd think people would be more advanced by now."

"Henry is your friend." Payton replied.

"I know, but he's not exactly the type I can talk to about certain stuff." Isaac said. "He's too much of a straight boy for that."

"Then maybe you should be nicer to people, instead of always insulting them." Payton replied. "I can tell it's just an act, you know."

"You would know." Isaac remarked with a raised eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Payton asked confused.

"You do the exact same thing. Or the opposite." Isaac replied. "I might act over the top to hide my insecurities, but you pretend to be invisible for the same reason."

"So we're both just insecure." Payton concluded.

"Looks like we have more in common than we think." Isaac replied with a smile. "Now tell me about Sean."

"I don't know what to say." Payton replied. "I've had a crush on him for as long I could remember. Up until tonight, I thought he didn't even know I existed."

"So go after him, you got the perfect dress now." Isaac said. "All you need is some heels."

"Are you sure your sister won't mind we're raiding her closet?" Payton asked.

"She'll never know." Isaac said. "She is a complete shopaholic and almost never wears the same thing twice. The more important question is, can you even walk on heels?"

"I grew up the youngest of three sisters." Payton replied. "Of course I can."

"Fine, then try these on for size." Isaac said as he grabbed a pair of heels. "I am going to get us some more liquid courage. If you're going after Sean, I'm not standing alone in the corner either."

Isaac left and Payton sat down on a stool to put on the heels. Luckily, she and Melissa had the same size. She stood up and looked at herself in the mirror again. She almost couldn't believe she was looking at herself. She looked like a whole new person. Sean would have to notice her like this. But what if he did? She did not know what to say or how to act. All of this was still new to her. She could not embarrass herself, she would be humiliated. Her mind starting spinning and she freaked out. Suddenly, her reflection in the mirror disappeared.

Confused, Payton waved her hand in front of the mirror but saw nothing. She then looked her arms and down to her feet. She was shocked to discover she was not there. She screamed when she realized she was invisible.

"Oh, this cannot be happening." Payton whispered in a panic. "Please let this be some stupid prank of Henry. Please become visible again. Please, please."

Payton took a couple of deep breaths and tried a relaxation method she used during studying. Now a little calmer, she looked in the mirror and slowly saw herself become visible again. She let out a relieved sigh, but quickly realized she could not stay here. If it happened again, her magic would be exposed. She needed to find Henry and go home.

xxx

Back downstairs, Henry had grabbed some more drinks and returned to the mysterious Tess on the improvised dance floor in the middle of the living room. He didn't really like to dance, but he just went along with the rest of the drunk idiots as he worked his way through the crowd. When he reached Tess, he handed her a drink.

"Thanks." Tess said.

"You're welcome." Henry replied. "So I still don't know anything about you."

"So?" Tess asked with a shrug.

"Come on, at least tell me something." Henry said. "Where are you from? How long have you been here?"

"You ask way too many questions." Tess replied.

"Humor me." Henry said with a smile.

"How about we make it more interesting?" Tess suggested. "I'll answer your questions if you do something for me in return."

"Like what?" Henry asked with a frown.

"Who knows?" Tess replied. "You only get to find out once you play."

"Alright, agreed." Henry said. "So answer me the questions I just asked."

"Okay." Tess replied with a smile. "I'm definitely not from around here. I got into town about a month now."

"That's very vague." Henry said. "So why San Francisco? What about your family?"

"I've been here before." Tess replied. "I'm an only child and my parents are not really in the picture. They're gone most of the time."

"Where are they?" Henry asked.

"Okay, I'm done answering questions." Tess replied. "Time to hold up your end of the bargain."

"Sure, what do I have to do?" Henry asked.

"Just shut up." Tess replied.

As she leaned in closer, Tess placed her hands around his neck and kissed him. Henry quickly replied and soon their tongues were intertwined. They moved across the dance floor and landed on one of the couches, where more couples were making out.

"If you wanted me to stop talking, you could have just said so." Henry remarked when they stopped to take a breath.

"This way was more fun." Tess replied with a shrug. "Besides, I'm the type of girl who always goes after the thing she wants."

"And I'm just supposed to go along with that?" Henry asked.

"Please, you wanted this from the start. I saw you staring at me at the football game." Tess replied. "Besides, you have to do whatever I want, remember?"

"No problem." Henry said with a smile.

Henry leaned in to kiss Tess again, but was distracted when he saw Payton coming down the stairs in a black dress. He was surprised to see her look like that, since he was not used to seeing her as an actual girl. To him, she was always his shy and nerdy cousin that always had to be right. Payton looked around and came running over as soon as she saw him.

"Henry, we have to leave!" Payton said in a panicked voice when she reached him. "Oh, sorry." She added when she noticed Tess.

"I don't mind." Tess replied. "I'll go get a snack."

Tess walked away while Payton sat down in her place. Henry was a little annoyed that she had interrupted them, but could tell she was freaking out. She was about to tell him something when a chilling scream sounded and the music was cut off. A girl came running into the room screaming something about Melissa in the garage. Henry noticed Isaac running in that direction and he and Payton followed him.

When they reached the garage, Henry noticed a small group of people had gathered already. He forced his way in and was shocked. The entire garage was trashed, like there had been an explosion or hurricane. Bottles of wine were shattered all across the floor. Isaac and Sean were kneeling down by Melissa trying to calm her down. She was crying while huddled up in the corner with several cuts on her arms and legs, probably from the glass. People were whispering if they should call the police or an ambulance.

"Alright, give them some space." Henry said as he turned to the other people. "Go home! We'll call the cops, she's fine."

Henry guided the others out and closed the door behind them. As he did, he suddenly noticed some strange black stuff on the floor. He headed over and grabbed a piece of shattered wood to test it. When he held up the stick, he saw it was some kind of sticky black goo.

"What is that?" Payton asked as she joined him. "Ectoplasm?"

"I'm not sure." Henry replied. "We'd better find out what Melissa saw."

Henry threw away the piece of wood and headed over to Melissa. He kneeled down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder. It was a little inconvenient that Isaac and Sean were there, but there was no way to get rid of them.

"Melissa." Henry said softly. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"Henry?" Melissa asked confused.

"It's okay, you can tell us what happened." Henry said. "Do you know what did this?"

"Don't you mean who?" Sean asked with a frown.

"Uh, sure." Henry replied.

"I'm not sure, it was a figure." Melissa said as she wiped away her tears. "I couldn't see if it was a man or a woman. It just suddenly showed up and had this creepy laugh. Then everything started moving and shaking. I screamed and tried to get it, but it wouldn't let me."

"What did it do?" Henry asked.

"Nothing." Melissa said. "It just tormented me. Then someone was at the door and it disappeared."

"Where did he run to?" Sean asked. "Should we call the police?"

"No, you don't understand. It just disappeared into thin air." Melissa replied.

"Has she gone crazy?" Isaac asked with a frown.

"I'm sure she's fine. Just in shock." Payton quickly replied.

"Hey, is that my dress?" Melissa suddenly called out.

"Well, looks like she's feeling better now." Isaac remarked with an eye roll.

"Uh, yeah, sorry." Payton said nervously. "Isaac said it was alright."

"It looks cute on you." Melissa said with a shrug. "It always made my hips look huge, but I guess you're not bothered by stuff like that."

"Uh, thanks." Payton replied skeptically.

"Okay, I'm calling the police." Sean said. "Whoever did this needs to pay and she needs to get those cuts looked at."

"Sean is right, those cuts need to be taken care of." Henry added. "In the meantime, I think it's best we get rid of the other guests."

"I think most of them are already gone." Isaac replied. "Nobody wants to get caught at a party with underage drinking. Our parents will probably kill us for throwing it. Mom will freak when she sees what happened to her wine."

"We should go too." Payton reminded Henry.

"No, wait." Melissa suddenly called out. "What about Tommy?"

"Tommy isn't here." Sean said.

"I know, but I got this really weird call." Melissa said. "It had the same creepy laugh. I think he's in trouble."

"Check your phone, I'm sure he has GPS." Isaac suggested.

Melissa nodded and grabbed her phone. "Oh god." She called out after a few moments. "He is still at the school. Why would he still be there?"

"Try calling him." Payton said.

"I'm already trying." Melissa replied. "He's not picking up. I think he is in danger. What if the person who attacked me has him?"

"We should check the school." Sean said. "Tommy is my best friend. If he's in danger, we need to find him."

"Actually, I think you should stay here and wait for the police." Henry suggested. "Payton and I will check the school. I'm sure Tommy is fine. He's a big guy."

"Good idea." Payton added somewhat impatiently. "Let's go now."

Henry and Sean helped Melissa up and they all headed to the living room while Isaac called the police. Like they suspected, everyone had left in a hurry and the place was a mess. Payton headed upstairs while the others put Melissa down on the couch. A few moments later, she came back down wearing her sneakers instead of the heels. Henry grabbed their coats and they headed out.

"Hold on." Sean said as he followed them outside. "Isaac can take care of his sister, I'm coming with you."

"That's not a good idea." Henry replied.

"I don't care. Tommy is my friend." Sean said determined. "You're not getting rid of me. So are we going or what?"

"Go where?" Someone asked.

Henry turned around and saw Tess was sitting on the fence smoking a cigarette. He was surprised she had stuck around with everything going on. Who was she exactly? He still knew nothing about her, since she had been very mysterious all night and never gave a clear answer. Could it be she was somehow involved with this?

"We need to find Tommy, whoever attacked Melissa might have gotten to him at the school." Sean explained quickly.

"Okay, so we're going to break into the school?" Tess asked.

"We?" Henry asked with a frown.

"I'm coming with you." Tess replied with a shrug. "Sounds like fun."

"Henry." Payton whispered as she grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the others. "This is not a good idea. We have no idea what we're dealing with and I still need to tell you something."

"We don't have time, Payton." Henry replied. "I don't really like Tommy, but if this is something demonic, we need to help him."

"What about the others?" Payton asked. "If we bring them along, we'll only put them in danger. Besides, we won't be able to use magic in front of them."

"I don't think we can get rid of them that easily." Henry replied disappointed. "We'll ditch them when we get to the school."

"Alright, I guess we don't have a choice." Payton admitted reluctantly.

"We're wasting time." Sean said annoyed as they walked back toward them.

"And we won't be able to get away once the cops get here." Tess added.

"Alright, let's go break into the school." Henry remarked reluctantly.

As the four of them got into the car, the sound of sirens could be heard in the distance. Henry quickly hit the gas and drove off in the opposite direction before the cops arrived. Despite everything going on and the potential danger, Henry had to admit that at least part of him was excited. This would prove to be a very interesting night.

xxx


	3. Chapter 3

Legacy 108: Smells Like Teen Spirit

Part 3

Xxx

After parking the car out of sight behind the school, Payton and the others got out and walked around the school looking for an entrance. Since it was late at night, the entire school was dark and deserted. However, they had seen Tommy's car in the parking lot, meaning he was either still there or had left some other way. Payton had a bad feeling about this whole mess. They had no idea what they were up against, they were with two mortals and she was at risk of turning invisible at any given moment. She needed to tell Henry what was going on, though she needed to be alone with him for that.

Aside from her own issues, she did not want to put Sean in danger. He was a really great guy for coming along to save his friend, but he had no idea what was going on. He was just a mortal after all, just like Tess. The group stopped at a door, but soon found it was locked.

"It's chained from the inside." Sean said as he slammed his fist against the door. "We should look for an open window or something."

"Great, why don't you two check on the left? Henry and I will go right." Payton quickly suggested.

"Uh, sure." Sean replied and walked off with Tess.

"Alright, they're gone." Henry replied after they crossed a corner and disappeared out of sight. "So how do you want to handle this?"

"I don't know, but first I need to tell you something." Payton said. "I tried to tell you at the party, but then the thing with Melissa happened."

"Okay, what's going on?" Henry asked with a frown.

"Back at the party, I sort-of turned invisible." Payton replied.

"What? How?" Henry asked. "Did a spell backfire again?"

"No." Payton replied annoyed, remembering the time she accidentally turned herself into a ghost. "I think it's a new power or something."

"How is invisibility a development from premonitions?" Henry asked confused.

"I was thinking about that in the car." Payton replied. "What if my powers revolve around sight? Premonitions allow me to see things that other people can't, so maybe I can now make it so others can't see me? Does that make any sense?"

"I guess." Henry replied with a shrug. "So do you have it under control?"

"No, that's the problem." Payton said.

"Well, all powers have a trigger." Henry reasoned. "What happened when you became invisible?"

"That's not important." Payton replied. "I don't want to talk to you about that sort of stuff."

"Does it have something to do with that dress you're wearing?" Henry asked with a frown as he looked at her outfit. "Or with Sean?"

"Shut up." Payton replied embarrassed.

"Of course." Henry concluded with a smirk. "Let me guess, you've been crushing on him for years, and now you finally had a chance to do something about it. So you probably became nervous or freaked out or something."

"It's not funny." Payton said annoyed. "You know I'm insecure when it comes to… you know."

"And now you're worried you'll expose your magic in front of him." Henry reasoned. "So we ditch them, which was the plan all along. Besides, I think it might be for the best."

"How so?" Payton asked.

"Don't you think it's a little strange how Tess just decided to come along?" Henry asked. "And how we've never seen her before?"

"You didn't seem concerned about that when you were making out with her." Payton remarked. "So you think she's involved with this?"

"I'm not sure." Henry replied. "It could all be some big coincidence, but I doubt it."

"Then we can't leave Sean alone with her." Payton said concerned. "What if he's next? Tommy is still missing and Melissa got off easy because it was interrupted."

"You're right." Henry admitted. "We're stuck with them."

"We'll still need a way into the school." Payton said as she looked at the locked door.

"Did you forget I can orb through stuff?" Henry asked.

"No, but you can't exactly dematerialize into orbs and walk through a wall in front of them, can you?" Payton remarked with a frown.

"Please, don't underestimate me." Henry replied with a smile.

Henry walked to the door and extended his hand, orbing his arm straight through the door. A moment later, he pulled it back and was holding a metal chain. He smiled as he dropped it on the floor and swung the door open. At the same time, Sean and Tess came walking back.

"How did you get the door open?" Sean asked surprised.

"I guess the chain wasn't secured properly." Henry replied. "A few knocks at the door and it flew right open."

"Strange, we didn't hear any knocks." Tess remarked. "We were just around the corner."

"Yeah, a lot of things here are strange." Henry replied.

"Who cares?" Sean called out. "Come on, we need to find Tommy. He has to be here somewhere."

The four of them entered the school and headed down the dark hallway. It took Payton a little while to get oriented. The school looked completely different at night. As they walked, she noticed Henry was keeping a close eye on Tess, who seemed to consider the whole thing as some great adventure. Meanwhile, Sean seemed mostly concerned about his friend. Payton really didn't understand how such a great guy was friends with a bully like Tommy. They were both jocks, but Sean was smart and kind, while Tommy was stupid and mean.

"Where would Tommy be?" Tess eventually asked to break the tense silence.

"I think we should check the locker rooms first." Sean replied. "It's the last place he would have been after the game."

"Great, I just love going through smelly locker rooms filled with teenage testosterone and sweat." Tess remarked dryly.

"Me too." Henry added with a smile.

"Let's just go." Sean said somewhat annoyed.

"Lead the way." Tess replied.

Sean nodded and started walking down the hallway, Payton followed and ended up walking next to him. She could sense his tension and wanted to say something, but struggled to find the right words. Instead, she remained silent and smiled faintly when he looked at her. Just when Sean was about to say something, his phone started to ring.

"It's Tommy." Sean said when he looked at it and answered. "Tommy, can you hear me?"

There was no reply, except for a creepy high-pitched laugh. "Who the hell is this?" Sean called out. "Where is my friend?"

At that moment, all phones started to ring and Payton and the others all answered. The creepy laughter suddenly sounded from all phones. Then all the phones suddenly went out.

"The batteries died." Henry said.

"On all our phones, at exactly the same time?" Sean asked skeptically. "How is that possible?"

"Could be something is interfering with them." Tess suggested. "Like you see in movies? What do you call it, a disruptor or something?"

"Are you sure it's not something else?" Henry remarked as he looked at her with suspicion.

"What else could it be?" Tess replied.

"This is starting to feel like a bad horror movie." Sean remarked.

"Not again." Henry said with an eye roll. "Let's just find Tommy and get out of here."

The group continued to walk down the hall. Suddenly, there was a loud clanking noise that echoed through the hall, like someone was hitting metal on metal. Everyone turned around to see what it was. Someone was standing at the end of the hall, hitting large fire ax against the metal lockers.

Everyone screamed and started running when the figure yelled and charged at them, sliding the ax across the floor. Payton lost sight of what was going on when someone grabbed her arm and dragged her in an unknown direction. Eventually, she was pulled into a supply closet. She wanted to scream, but someone pressed a hand against her mouth.

"Be quiet." Sean whispered.

Payton looked in his eyes. She was shaking with fear and couldn't calm herself. Sean noticed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close. They waited in silence and heard the axman walk past the supply closet. When he was gone, Payton became aware of the fact that Sean was still holding her. Any other day, she would have been thrilled. He made her feel safe for the moment, though she soon realized they were still in danger. She pulled away and looked around. None of the others were with them, they were alone.

Xxx

Somewhere in the deserted school, Henry took a deep breath as he leaned against a desk in a classroom. He was a little out of breath, but was fairly certain that he had gotten away from the axman. He looked around and suddenly noticed he was alone. The others were gone, meaning they must have gotten separated. He needed to know his cousin was safe, so he reached for his phone, though he quickly remembered it was useless.

"What the hell is going on?" Henry asked himself.

Henry tried to get the facts in order. First there was the black goo, the thing that attacked Melissa disappearing into thin air, the creepy laugh, the phones, and finally the psychotic axman. If this really was a horror movie like Sean said, then the ghost of some serial killer was probably haunting them. Although this wasn't a movie, Henry knew that evil ghosts were all too real. And he had no way to vanquish one on his own.

Henry headed to the door to make sure the coast was clear, though before he could, the door opened and Tess ran in. She was still a mystery to him, like a piece of the puzzle he wasn't quite sure where to place in all of this.

"How did you get here?" Henry asked.

"I saw you go in here." Tess replied. "I think that ax guy went after Sean and your cousin."

"Then I need to find them." Henry replied.

"And do what?" Tess asked as he grabbed his arm. "Get chopped into little pieces? We need to be smart here."

"Really?" Henry asked frustrated as he pulled free. "I think we should be honest here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tess asked.

"I mean it's a pretty big coincidence that all of this started the moment you showed up." Henry said.

"I've been here for weeks!" Tess called out. "How would I even do all this? How could anyone? That stuff with the phones really freaked me out."

"Pretty weird, right?" Henry remarked. "Almost like magic."

"Magic?" Tess asked with a frown. "I was thinking more like phone hacking. Are you high or something?"

"I think we're both still a little high, but that's beside the point." Henry replied. "You've been acting mysterious all evening. What's your deal?"

"Man, again with the questions!" Tess called out. "I just like to keep my private stuff private. I'd think someone like you would understand that."

"What do you mean by that?" Henry asked suspiciously.

"Nothing." Tess replied. "Let's just go see if we can find the others."

"Fine." Henry said, knowing that she would not tell him. He'd rather concentrate on finding his cousin anyway.

Henry and Tess left the classroom and headed down the hall. The entire school was quiet and there was no sign of the others or the axman.

"I think we're close to the locker rooms." Henry whispered. "We should check if Tommy's there."

"I was so hoping to avoid that." Tess replied.

Henry shook his head and turned a corner. When he opened the door of the boys' locker room, he was greeted by steam coming from the showers. They had probably been on for hours. He quickly headed to the maintenance hatch and shut off the main pipeline. With the showers shut off, the locker room suddenly became very quiet. Henry turned and nearly slipped over something on the floor. He kneeled down and noticed the same black goo as in the garage.

"What is that?" Tess asked as she kneeled down next to him.

"Not a clue." Henry replied.

Henry wondered if it was ectoplasm, though it didn't look like any he'd ever seen. Maybe they were dealing with something other than a ghost. He looked to his side and saw Tess staring at the black goo with a worried look on her face. It definitely seemed like she knew something, though she didn't seem willing to share. Instead, she quickly stood up and walked away. When Henry followed her, they suddenly heard the scuffling of footsteps. Someone ran past them and left the locker room, nearly knocking them over.

"Tommy?" Henry called after him, but the figure was already gone. "Did you see who it was?"

"No, too much steam." Tess replied. "He looked smaller than the axman though. And he didn't cut us up into tiny pieces."

"So we got at least two people running around here, at least one of which is a crazy ax swinger." Henry remarked. "Great."

"Looks like Tommy's not here." Tess said. "Should we keep going?"

"Yeah, I need to find Payton." Henry replied.

They left the locker room and headed back to where they came from. Hopefully, Payton and Sean would be there as well. As they walked in silence, Henry stared at Tess. He was convinced that she knew more than she was letting on. She was acting too suspicious not to, and he was sure she recognized the black goo. He needed to confront her about it.

"Alright." Henry said as he stopped. "I think it's time you start telling me the truth."

"You really don't trust me, do you?" Tess replied as she turned to him. "You honestly think I have something to do with this? Why would I hurt Tommy or Melissa, I barely know them."

"Crazy people often have crazy reasons to do stuff." Henry remarked.

"Well, you didn't think I was too crazy at the party." Tess said as she crossed her arms. "If I'm so suspicious, then why were you hitting on me?"

"That was before I knew what was going on." Henry replied. "I saw the look on your face when you saw that black goo. I think you know what it is."

"I don't." Tess said. "And I don't care if you believe me or not."

Tess turned around and started to walk away. Suddenly, a creepy laughter sounded. When Henry turned around, he saw a shadowy figure floating at the end of the hall. As it headed toward them, lockers on both sides of the door swung open. Both Tess and Henry started running, though the figure came closer fast. Something knocked them off their feet and they slid across the floor.

When Henry looked up, the shadowy figure was hovering above them. Suddenly Tess extended her hand and unleashed a colorful blast of pure bright light. The figure let out a horrified scream as the light penetrated it and ripped it apart. The pieces of shadow that remained floated through the air and faded away. When the figure was gone, Henry looked at Tess with a shocked expression.

"Okay, so I think we need to talk." Tess remarked dryly.

xxx


	4. Chapter 4

Legacy 108: Smells Like Teen Spirit

Part 4

Xxx

As they carefully opened the door of the supply closet, Payton desperately wished the crazy axman had gone away. She had begged Sean not to look, but he was too concerned about his friend and became impatient. He popped his head through the door to look around and gave the signal the coast was clear. Payton let out a relieved sigh and followed him into the hall. The axman was gone, but so were Henry and Tess. Had he gone after them instead? She knew Henry could defend himself, but he was attracted to Tess. If she really was involved in this somehow, he could be in over his head. After all, his hormones could easily get in the way of his better judgment.

"I'm sure they're okay." Sean whispered, apparently noticing the worried look on her face.

"I hope so." Payton replied.

"So you and your cousin are pretty close, right?" Sean asked as they walked down the hall, obviously trying to break the tension. "Is your entire family like that?"

"I guess so." Payton replied. "We grew up together and with our parents away, we kind-of all depend on each other."

"Yeah, I know your mom is like this famous writer, right?" Sean asked. "What's that like?"

"It depends." Payton replied. "One day she is this cool and understanding mom, the next she is driving me insane with her meddling. Just because she wrote some books, doesn't make her an expert on everything."

"That's funny." Sean remarked with a smile. "In class, you always seem to know everything."

"Really? I try not be a know-it-all." Payton replied. "I'm surprised you even noticed. I didn't think you knew who I was."

"Well, you're not exactly easy to get to know." Sean said. "You seem so serious all the time."

"I'm not that serious." Payton replied slightly annoyed. "Why does everyone think I'm like this boring goody-two-shoes?"

"Because you are?" Sean asked laughing. "Not the boring part, of course, but you seem way too focused on your academics."

"I happen to have big plans." Payton replied. "I need good grades for that."

"What kind of plans?" Sean asked.

"I want to get into a good college, Stanford or Harvard." Payton replied. "Maybe something in law or politics. I want to do something meaningful."

"That's quite a plan." Sean said impressed.

"And what about you?" Payton asked. "What about your family? Anything besides football?"

"Uh, not much to tell, I guess." Sean said. "My parents can't really afford college, so a scholarship is pretty much my only shot. But I haven't figured it out yet."

"Why not?" Payton asked.

"Because, I saw what happened to my dad and my brother." Sean said. "I'll probably end up at some dead-end job. I'm not super smart like you."

"I think you don't give yourself enough credit." Payton replied. "Your grades are pretty good, and your literature report a few weeks ago was really insightful. It was one of my favorite books."

"Mine too." Sean replied with a smile. "Wow, you've really been paying attention to me, haven't you?"

"Uh, not really. I just pay attention in class, that's all." Payton said embarrassed.

Payton felt herself getting flustered. Suddenly, she was reminded of the fact that she was alone with Sean Keller, the boy she had a crush on for years. And they were having an actual conversation. She could have never imagined this happening. It was like a dream. Except now she had basically admitted she had been stalking him. It was completely humiliating. She looked down to the floor and suddenly noticed her hand had become invisible again. She quickly rolled down her sleeve and tried to think about anything else. Henry for example, or the fact that they were in serious danger. There was no time for her foolish crush.

"We should find the others." Payton quickly said.

"Right." Sean replied. "Locker rooms?"

Payton nodded and they continued walking. They crossed a corner and froze. The figure holding the ax stood by the stairway looking around. The school was too dark to clearly see his face. He had not seen them yet, so Payton and Sean quietly backed up. However, the axman suddenly looked their way and screamed angrily.

"Run!" Sean yelled.

Sean grabbed Payton by the arm as they ran back the other way. Payton looked over her shoulder and saw the axman was right behind them. They crossed a corner and ran into a classroom. As they closed the door, Payton hoped that the axman had not seen them go in and would run past them. She screamed when suddenly an ax cut through the door.

"We're trapped." Payton said as she looked around.

"Then we have to defend ourselves." Sean said. "Get behind the desk."

Payton did as he asked and took cover behind the desk. Sean grabbed a chair and positioned himself behind the door, ready to strike. When the axman withdrew his ax and opened the door, Sean hit the chair over his head. However, the axman seemed unimpressed and pushed him against the wall. Sean barely had time to duck before the ax hit the wall where his head had just been. He tackled the axman and they rolled over the floor. The axman overpowered him and started to strange him while hitting his head against the floor, knocking him out.

"Sean!" Payton called out in a panic.

The axman suddenly looked at her and Payton was shocked to see it was Tommy. He was the psychotic axman that was chasing them? Was he somehow possessed or had he just been driven insane? It didn't matter, as he was about to kill his best friend. Payton grabbed a book from the desk and threw it at his head. Tommy cried out in pain and crawled up. Payton ducked behind the desk again and figured now was a really good time to turn invisible.

An enraged Tommy screamed and walked around the desk, though he suddenly stopped and looked around. Payton looked at her hands and saw she had become invisible just in time. Tommy started looking for her in blind rage. Payton picked up a heavy lamp from the desk and slowly walked toward him. When she was close enough, she screamed and knocked him over the head. Tommy was knocked out and fell on the floor.

"Okay, that was insane." Payton remarked to herself as she became visible again.

Payton ran over to Sean and kneeled down next to him. Luckily, he was still breathing and was just waking up. Payton smiled when she realized he would be alright and was relieved that he had not seen her use magic.

"What happened?" Sean asked a little dazed.

"Well, we found Tommy." Payton replied. "I knocked him out when he attacked you."

"So you saved me." Sean said surprised as he sat up. "I'm starting to think you're pretty amazing, Payton Halliwell."

Before Payton could say something or even react to his words, Sean placed a hand on her neck and leaned in to kiss her. She was too stunned to even think what was happening. Her mind became cloudy and all she could think about was how nice his lips felt.

Xxx

On the other side of the school, Henry tried to make sense of what had just happened. Tess had used some kind of light blast to chase off the shadow creature. He knew she was somehow involved in this, but it still didn't make sense. If she was behind this, she had no reason to chase it off, unless it was all some kind of trick. When Tess got up from the floor, Henry grabbed her arm and pushed her against one of the lockers. He held her arms in place so she could not use her light blast on him. He needed to know what he was dealing with.

"Someone's a little kinky." Tess remarked smirking.

"Enough with the games, Tess." Henry replied. "You said we should talk, so talk. Who or what are you? What is going on here?"

"Alright, I guess there is no point in keeping it a secret." Tess replied. "Though I doubt you will believe me."

"Are you a witch?" Henry asked.

"No, I'm not like you or your cousin." Tess replied.

"So you know about us, about my family. Have you known all along?" Henry asked.

"Of course. I could sense it. Not to mention everyone's heard of the Charmed Ones." Tess replied. "I met them once, you know. Your aunts. Before they discovered your mother."

"How is that possible?" Henry asked. "How old are you? You look seventeen."

"I'm not." Tess replied. "Far from it, actually."

"Why don't you just tell me the truth?" Henry asked impatiently. "I'm getting tired of asking questions that you only give half answers to."

"Fine, I think you deserve an explanation." Tess said. "My name is not really Tess. It's a name I took when I got to this realm. My name is Thistle, princess Thistle to be exact."

Upon hearing that name, Henry remembered reading something in the Book of Shadows. But that was insane. He let go of her and took a step back. "Wait a minute!" He said confused. "Are you telling me you're a Fairy?"

"So you've heard of me." Tess replied reluctantly. "I bet you're wondering how that's possible, right? Well, Fairy Dust has many magical properties. I used to give myself human form."

"Okay, that covers the how, but why?" Henry asked. "Why are you here?"

"That's a long story." Tess said and she took a deep breath before explaining herself. "Living in the enchanted kingdom is not the fairy tale everyone thinks. It's tough, especially when you're royalty. My entire life, my parents have pressured and trained me to take the throne, but I never wanted it. That's why I ran away the first time. To see the human world and be free."

"And now you're back." Henry said.

"Fairies age far slower than humans, to the point where we're almost immortal." Tess explained. "I'm about to become an adult by our standards, meaning I would have been forced to claim the throne soon. I became scared, so I ran. I wanted to be human, to experience human life for myself."

"So you came to a high school?" Henry asked skeptically.

"Well, I figured high school is like a rite of passage." Tess replied. "What better way to experience the best and worst humanity has to offer?"

"I guess." Henry said. "I still have my doubts, but let's get back to the real issue here. Do you know what that shadow was?"

"I think so." Tess admitted. "They're Goblins. I recognized the black goo, it's a residue they leave behind, sort-of like ectoplasm."

"Goblins?" Henry asked with a frown. "Plural?"

"A nest to be specific." Tess said. "They are shadow-like creatures related to trolls. They feed on negative emotions such as anger, fear and pain. I think they followed me here from my kingdom."

"They feed on negative emotions?" Henry asked concerned.

"Exactly, that's why they are so powerful here." Tess said. "Let's face it, with all these teenagers, high school is a breeding ground for negative emotions."

"So why are they attacking random people?" Henry asked.

"I don't think it's random." Tess replied. "When Goblins find someone they can draw enough energy from, they attach themselves to that person like leeches. They will consider that person their leader and do his bidding."

"You're saying someone is controlling them? Sending them after innocents?" Henry asked.

"That depends on your definition of innocent." Tess replied with a shrug. "As far as I can tell, Tommy and Melissa are not exactly nice people. They're bullies."

"So you're saying they deserve this?" Henry asked accusingly.

"Of course not." Tess argued. "I'm saying they are being targeted for a reason."

"Okay, I get it." Henry replied. "So how do we stop these things?"

"We stop the person they are attached to." Tess said. "And I think that person is closer than we realize."

"What are you..?" Henry started to ask, but then realized what she meant. "Wait, you mean whoever ran from us in the locker room?"

"Exactly." Tess said. "Whoever it is, he's here in the school, and he was probably at the party as well, so see the results of his actions."

"So what do these Goblins do to their targets?" Henry asked curiously.

"They don't kill them." Tess replied. "They like to torture them, play mind tricks and drive them insane."

"So that's probably what happened to Tommy." Henry reasoned. "What about Melissa?"

"Don't worry, they didn't have the time to drive her crazy." Tess replied.

"But Tommy?" Henry asked.

"Oh, he's probably insane by now." Tess replied casually. "But if we vanquish the Goblins in time, we should be able to reverse the process."

"Okay, then we should hurry." Henry said.

"Wait, so you trust me?" Tess asked confused.

"Not really, but you know what we're dealing with, so you're our best shot." Henry replied. "We can figure out the other stuff later."

"I'm surprised you even believe me." Tess said.

"I don't think anyone would lie about being a Fairy princess." Henry remarked dryly. "Way to embarrassing, now let's get moving, your highness."

"I'm so going to regret telling you." Tess said as she rolled her eyes.

As they headed out to find the others, Henry looked at Tess and wondered if she had been completely honest with him. Fairies were good magical beings, but they were also known as pranksters. And if she was Fairy royalty, she had to be very skilled at deceit.

Xxx

In the dark basement of the school, creepy laughter sounded as several shadows gathered and assumed small humanoid shapes with glowing green eyes. A figure stepped into the beam of a small light bulb, wearing a dark hoodie so his face was obscured. The Goblins gathered around him, forming a circle just outside of the light.

"I think they're getting close to figuring us out." The figure said. "Tommy and Melissa deserved what happened to them, but these people have nothing to do with it. I don't want to hurt them."

The Goblins gathered and formed into a larger shadowy figure. It circled around the light, being careful not to appear directly in it.

"But they will destroy us." the shadow whispered in a hissing manner. "We help you, protect you. We are your friend, your only friend."

"I know that. But I don't want to hurt innocent people like Payton." The figure replied.

"Does she even know your name?" the shadow asked.

"Well, I don't know… I mean, I don't think so." The figure replied stumbling.

"She doesn't care about you. She is just like the others." The shadow said. "We are the only friends you can depend on. We can be your family. Don't let them destroy us, my king."

"King?" the figure asked confused.

"We will forever be loyal to you." The shadow hissed. "Nothing will ever hurt you or bring you down ever again. You will no longer be ignored or ridiculed. You will get all you deserve."

"Alright." The figure eventually said after some consideration. "Do what you must."

The shadow spun around and erupted into several smaller shadows while their creepy laughs filled the basement.

xxx


	5. Chapter 5

Legacy 108: Smells Like Teen Spirit

Part 5

Xxx

As Sean tied up Tommy, Payton stood by the door and waited. She still could not believe he had kissed her, it felt like a dream. She was not willing to admit it, but it had been her first true kiss and she still felt some butterflies in her stomach. She wondered if Sean felt the same, though she doubted it. He had probably kissed other girls before, not to mention he was more preoccupied with helping his friend right now. She should be focused on that as well, but she kept thinking of his lips. She wanted to know if the kiss meant something, or if it was just something that happened on impulse.

Payton was about to ask him, though she stopped when he stood up and turned around. "That will hold him." Sean said. "We need to get him out of here."

"Uh, yeah, sure." Payton replied.

"What do you think is wrong with him?" Sean asked worried.

"I don't know." Payton lied.

"We should get him to the hospital." Sean said as he got up.

"Can you carry him alone?" Payton said. "Maybe we should find Henry and Tess first."

"I'll manage." Sean said. "I'm not leaving him behind."

Sean lifted Tommy and threw him over his shoulder, though he seemed to struggle with his weight. However, as Sean was determined to take him anyway, Payton decided not to say anything. Instead, she opened the door and they left the classroom.

"Are you okay?" Payton asked.

"I'm fine." Sean replied with a little effort. "Tommy is what matters now. I still can't imagine what could have done this to him."

Payton knew she needed a way to explain what had happened somehow, but she still had no idea what was going on herself. She just hoped Henry was having some more luck. Suddenly, a creepy laugh filled the hallway and Payton froze. She turned around and saw a shadow-like figure appearing from an air vent in the wall.

"Oh crap." Payton called out.

"What's going on?" Sean asked, since he was unable to look over his shoulder while carrying Tommy. "What's with the creepy laugh?"

"Uh, we need to run." Payton replied. "Now!"

Payton grabbed Sean by the arm and started dragging him down the hall, which did not go as fast as she had hoped with Tommy weighing them down.

"I don't get it." Sean said as he tried to look back. "Who is behind us?"

"Don't look, just run." Payton replied slightly panicked.

The creepy laughs echoed behind them as the lights above them started flickering. Payton looked over her shoulder and saw the figure was coming closer fast. Suddenly, the door in front of them slammed shut, so Payton quickly changed direction to another hallway.

"Payton!" A familiar voice yelled.

Payton saw Henry and Tess running toward them from the opposite direction. However, Payton knew they could not engage in a magical confrontation with Sean and Tess around. They needed to get them out of danger. At that moment, she noticed Henry pointing at the bathrooms. She was confused, but quickly realized what he meant.

"Sean, in there!" Payton said as she pointed at the door.

"What? There's no way out of there." Sean replied confused.

"Just do it." Henry yelled as they met in the middle.

Sean reluctantly agreed and dragged Tommy into the bathroom. Henry then quickly slammed the door shut behind them. He grabbed the handle and orbed it off the door, locking Sean inside. Payton was shocked and looked at Tess, who seemed unaffected by seeing magic. Suddenly, all three of them were knocked off their feet and the shadowy figure flew over them. All the lockers around them started shaking. One locker flew forward and nearly crushed Payton, though Henry pulled her away in time. At that moment, Tess stood up and raised her hand. A bright blast of light erupted from her hand, the shadow screamed as it was torn apart and fled through a vent.

"What the hell?" Payton called out confused.

"It's okay, Payton." Henry quickly said. "She's on our side."

"What was that shadow thing?" Payton asked.

"Goblins." Tess replied. "Creepy things that feed on negative emotions. Their master sent them after us."

"Wait, master?" Payton asked confused.

"We think the Goblins attached themselves to someone in the school and are now taking orders from this person." Henry said. "We need to find whoever is behind this to stop it."

"And what is she?" Payton asked.

Henry and Tess exchanged frowns and were about to answer, when Sean started banging on the bathroom door. "Guys! Are you alright? I can't get out. What is going on?"

"We're okay." Payton replied as she walked to the door. "The door handle broke. We'll try to fix it, but it's probably safer if you stay there with Tommy."

"Payton, I don't know what is going on, but you can't leave me trapped here." Sean said. "Who the hell was after us? Did they do this to Tommy?"

"We think so." Henry quickly improvised. "We think this is all some really messed up prank. Obviously someone drugged Tommy to get him like this."

"That doesn't make sense." Sean replied. "Who would do that?"

"Anyone might have a particular grudge against Tommy and Melissa?" Tess asked.

"I have no idea." Sean replied. "Sure Tommy can be a jerk, but that's not a reason to hurt him, right?"

"I don't know, people who get bullied their whole lives can become pretty desperate." Payton reasoned. "I think people underestimate the effect it has on others."

"Okay, but whoever did this has gone way too far." Sean replied. "And how is he pulling all of this off?"

"That's what we're going to find out." Henry said. "You just sit tight. We'll find a way to get you out as soon as we can."

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" Sean replied annoyed. "I'm stuck."

"At least you'll be safe." Payton said.

"Isn't that supposed to be the kind of thing I say to you?" Sean asked.

"Dude, we're living in the twenty-first century. Girls can take care of themselves." Tess remarked dryly.

"Besides, this is nothing but a stupid prank." Henry added. "It's gone way too far, but I doubt the person behind this actually wants to hurt us."

"Alright, just be careful." Sean replied reluctantly.

Henry and Tess walked away, though Payton remained lingering at the door for a moment. She knew Sean would be safe in there, as much as he resented it, but taking him with them would only complicate things. He was mortal and knew nothing about magic. This was for the best.

Xxx

As they continued their search of the school, Henry kept a close eye on the shadows and corners. Goblins were slippery and could pop up anywhere. There were not just messing around anymore, they wanted to kill them. Meanwhile, Tess informed Payton of everything that happened so far, including reluctantly telling her about her own past. At the same time, Payton told them what had happened with Tommy, which confirmed that the Goblins had driven him crazy. At least he was taken care off, though the main threat was still whoever was controlling the Goblins.

"I still can't believe you're a Fairy." Payton whispered. "An actual human-sized Fairy."

"Well, get used to it." Tess remarked. "I'm trying to be human, so it would be helpful if people stopped called me that."

"But why?" Payton asked with a frown. "Your world sounds so beautiful and magical. Why would you want to leave?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Tess replied. "My whole life was planned out for me. I was even betrothed already. I wanted my own life, real experiences, friends and…"

"Love?" Payton asked excited.

"Well, I was going to say hot and sweaty sex, but sure." Tess replied with a shrug.

"Good to know." Henry remarked with a smile.

"Okay, gross, change the subject please." Payton said disgusted. "I don't want to think about my cousin like that."

"Alright, care to tell us what happened with you and Sean?" Henry asked.

"Why would you think anything happened?" Payton asked guiltily.

"Oh, the lingering looks perhaps." Tess said.

"Okay, shut up." Payton said visibly flustered. "We should be focusing on the magical issue here, not the other stuff. We need an actual plan. We can't just keep blasting the Goblins with light. It only scared them off."

"We need to find the one controlling them." Henry said.

"And then what?" Payton asked. "Whoever it is has to be mortal. We can't vanquish a mortal. How are we going to stop him?"

"We need to sever the connection with the Goblins somehow." Tess explained. "Now that they have leeched onto someone, they are connected to that person. If we cut the connection, the Goblins will go poof."

"That still leaves the how question." Payton said.

"We'll figure something out." Henry replied. "I'm getting bored with looking. I wish they'd just show themselves."

At that moment, a creepy laugh sounded and the light above them went on and flashed. Then the light in front of it and the one after that. A path of light was revealed down the hall, leading to the doors of the cafeteria, which flew open. An obvious trap, of course, but at least they were getting somewhere.

"You do know this is a trap, right?" Payton asked concerned as she grabbed his arm.

"Obviously." Henry said. "But if we want answers, we have no choice but to follow."

"If you say so." Payton replied doubtfully.

When the three of them stepped into the cafeteria, the door slammed shut behind them. The creepy laugh echoed through the room as the lights started flashing. Several chairs and tables began moving and hovering in the air.

"You'll have to do better than that!" Henry called out. "We're not impressed."

"Yeah, come on." We're tired of these stupid games." Tess added. "Just show yourself."

Suddenly, one of the chairs flew at them and they ducked in just time. The chair flew over their heads and crashed against the wall. Several more flew at them and they quickly took cover behind a table they flipped on its side.

"Brilliant plan to piss off the evil little gnomes." Payton remarked.

"They're Goblins." Henry replied.

"I don't care." Payton snapped at him.

A rumbling sounded as all the tables and chairs in the room were dragged across the floor. Henry tried to hold on to their cover, but it was pulled away. All the furniture in the room were dragged into a large circle, where a figure in a black cloak was standing. Judging by the size and shape of the figure, they were dealing with a skinny kid of average height. Suddenly, an invisible force grabbed them and dragged them across the room, forcing them to sit in three chairs opposite of the kid. Henry tried to move, but something held him down.

"So you finally show yourself." Henry remarked. "Was hiding behind your little friends getting a little boring? Why don't you tell us who you are?"

"Doesn't matter." The kid replied. "Nobody knows who I am, nobody cares."

"Why are you doing this?" Tess asked.

"They all deserve it." The kid said. "The jocks, the cheerleaders, they're bullies, thinking they can do whatever they want because they are popular. They needed to learn a lesson. You can't mess with people like that and expect to get away with it."

"We can help you." Payton said. "Nobody needs to get hurt."

"Help me?" The kid said angrily. "A little late for that, isn't it? It's not just bullies that need to learn. Everyone else who just stands there and watches, they're just as bad."

"You're right." Payton said. "So let's just talk for a moment."

"I'm done talking." The kid replied. "I have the power to actually do something now."

"So what's your plan?" Henry asked. "Do you even have a plan? Or are those little monsters whispering thoughts into your head?"

"They are my friends." The kid snapped at him. "They don't control me, I control them."

"So what are you going to do?" Tess asked. "Drive us insane? Kill us? What did we ever do to you?"

"You did nothing, like all the rest." The kid replied before turning to Payton. "Even you, Payton. I used to think you were so amazing. Smart and beautiful. Invisible to everyone and better than them, just like me. But then you had to go and kiss Sean Keller? You're just like everyone else."

"Leave her alone." Henry said angrily.

"And you." The kid replied. "Henry Mitchell, you're the worst of them all. You don't fit in anywhere, but for some reason, everyone likes you. But instead of doing something useful, you just go through the motions, like nothing can touch you. You're selfish and arrogant."

"Jealous much?" Henry remarked.

"You seem to pay attention a lot." Tess said.

"It's easy to keep an eye on everyone when nobody notices you." The kid replied.

"Wait a minute." Henry suddenly said when he realized something. "I know who you are. You're that kid from the school newspaper, Neal."

Neal smirked and removed his cloak. Henry suddenly remembered seeing him sneak into the party right before Melissa was attacked. He also remembered the kid being bullied a lot by Tommy and his friends. He had once seen him getting thrown into a dumpster in front of the entire school and everyone laughed. Nobody had helped him, and Henry was ashamed to admit he had done nothing as well.

"Wait, I know you. I saw you at the football field." Payton said. "Tommy knocked you down and broke your camera."

"Neal, I know things suck for you at school." Henry said. "But that's no reason to hurt people. I think you know that. You don't want this."

"Don't start pretending you suddenly know me!" Neal said angrily.

"Neal, we can help you." Payton said. "These Goblins are not your real friends, they are using you, feeding off your anger and pain."

"How do you even know what they are?" Neal asked. "I saw what you did, what you all did. You're not normal, are you?"

"You're right, we're not." Henry replied.

Henry stood up and orbed through the telekinetic hold the Goblins had on him. Neal was stunned and took a step back as Henry headed toward him.

"How did you do that?" Neal asked confused.

"Neal, you need to let go of the Goblins." Henry said. "They are not your friends. They're evil and dangerous. They are just using you. I know people can be cruel, but these things are worse."

"Don't listen to them, my king." A soft hissing voice suddenly spoke. "They are evil witches, sent to tear us apart. You still need us, don't let them separate us."

The black cloak around Neal's shoulders rose up and started to circle him. As it changed shape, Henry realized it was never a cloak at all, but the Goblins in disguise. As they formed into the shadowy figure from before, the lights above them exploded and everything in the room started to tremble. The Goblins started laughing and Henry nervously took a step back.

xxx


	6. Chapter 6

Legacy 108: Smells Like Teen Spirit

Part 6

Xxx

Payton screamed as she saw the Goblins telekinetically lift up Henry and throw him across the room. He crashed through some tables and disappeared from her sight. However, she also noticed that the force holding her down had been lifted. She and Tess both got up and ran toward Henry. When they heard something behind them, Tess turned around and fired a blast of light at the shadow figure, which evaded it and circled them. Tess quickly pushed Payton aside before getting hit with a telekinetic blast.

Payton quickly hid behind a pillar and focused. When the shadow moved around the pillar, she had become invisible. The figure looked around and retreated when it saw nothing. Payton slowly moved around as quietly as possible. She needed something to fight, a spell, anything. She forced herself to think. Goblins were affected by light. Suddenly, a familiar nursery rhyme popped up in her mind.

"Where is she?" Neal called out as the shadow hovered around him. "They can't leave. They know I'm behind this now."

The shadowy figure nodded and split into two. A moment later, both halves dragged Henry and Tess across the floor.

"Where is Payton?" Neal asked.

"Don't do this, Neal." Henry replied. "You said it yourself. You're better than this. Don't become a bully."

"I'm not a bully." Neal said. "I am finally getting what I deserve. Justice."

"There is a difference between justice and vengeance." Henry argued. "You're smart enough to see that, right? You don't want to hurt people."

This seemed to affect Neal. He took a step back and began to hesitate. However, the Goblins would not allow it. "They need to die, my king." The Goblins hissed. "You're gone this far. You promised us. You cannot go back. You will be weak again."

"I can't go back." Neal repeated.

"It's not too late." Tess said.

"What about Tommy?" Neal asked. "It's too late."

"We'll find a way to help him." Henry said. "All you have to do is stop. Tell the Goblins to go. Stop letting them use you."

"They are evil." Tess added. "All they care about is causing pain. That's the only reason they are helping you."

"We are loyal to you, my king." The Goblins hissed. "They are tricksters. They want you to go back to the way you were, ignored and ridiculed. You are nothing without us."

"I am something." Neal whispered with teary eyes. "Why are you trying to bring me down? You were supposed to help me."

"You're weak." The Goblins whispered. "You need us."

"No, I don't." Neal replied. "I don't want your help like this."

"You owe us." The Goblins hissed angrily. "We helped you."

"No, you're using me." Neal said determined. "I want you to leave."

"It's too late for that, Neal." The Goblins replied as they started to laugh. "You accepted us, now we're never letting go."

As the laughing grew louder, Neal screamed and tried to run. However, something threw him off his feet and started pulling him toward the shadowy figure. Henry and Tess tried to help him, but were thrown back. Neal screamed in terror as he was dragged inside the shadow. A cloud of darkness started to whirl around him until only a black silhouette remained. When it stood up, Payton saw it was a shadow version of Neal with glowing green eyes.

"Now we are one." The shadow said with a creepy smile.

The shadow extended its hands and both Henry and Tess were lifted off the ground. They hovered in mid-air as it started to telekinetically strange them. Payton knew it was now or never. She stepped between the shadow and the others and became visible. The shadow tilted its head and Henry and Tess fell on the floor.

"Nice trick." The shadow remarked.

"Watch this." Payton replied before she started chanting the spell.

"_I am light, I am one too strong to fight_

_Now go away and leave my sight_

_And take with you, this endless night_."

As she cast the spell, small white orbs started to swirl around the shadow. However, it merely laughed. When the spell was finished, the orbs faded away. Meanwhile, Tess and Henry slowly moved to either side of the shadow.

"You can't destroy us as long as we are bound." The shadow said.

"Well, we can fix that." Tess suddenly said.

Tess raised her hands and fired a powerful blast of colorful light at the shadow, forcing it to Henry with a concussive force. When it was close enough, Tess stopped and Henry orbed right through the shadow, separating it from Neal and leaving it defenseless.

"Now!" Henry yelled.

Payton nodded and quickly repeated the spell. This time, the white orbs surrounding the Goblins were stronger and moved faster. The Goblins screeched as they were engulfed by the white orbs and disappeared in a flash of light. When the shadow was gone, Payton let out a relieved sigh, hoping it was finally over. Meanwhile, Henry dropped Neal on the floor. He was unconscious and covered in the black goo left behind by the Goblins.

"Nice teamwork." Tess said.

"What about him?" Payton asked as she looked at Neal. "I feel so bad for him. He didn't deserve this."

"Nobody deserved this." Henry replied as he stood up. "Neal, Melissa, not even Tommy. The Goblins took advantage of a bad situation and made it worse."

"What are we going to do now?" Tess asked.

"Perhaps we can use a spell to make everyone forget?" Payton suggested.

"I doubt it." Henry replied. "Making people forget won't explain what happened at the party or how the school got trashed."

"Not to mention Neal and Tommy were already pretty screwed up by the Goblins." Tess added. "I don't think messing with their minds is smart. We don't want to fry their brains."

"So what are you suggesting?" Payton asked.

Before any of the others could reply, Neal groaned and slowly woke up. Payton quickly kneeled down and wiped the black goo off his face. He looked at her with a confused and scared look.

"W… What happened?" Neal asked.

"What do you remember?" Payton asked.

"I don't know." Neal replied. "I don't remember anything, except everything being dark."

"Do you know who you are? Who we are?" Henry asked.

"My name is Neal. I go to Baker High." Neal replied. "So do the two of you. I just don't remember her." He added as he pointed at Tess. "What is this black stuff?"

"Can you tell us the last thing you remember?" Henry asked.

"I remember taking pictures for the paper at the school play." Neal said.

"Okay, that was two weeks ago." Payton said. "You don't remember anything after that?"

"I don't know, it's all so weird." Neal said. "But I think I did something, it feels like I did something wrong. Did I hurt someone?"

"Look Neal, this is going to be a bit difficult to explain." Henry said carefully. "We… uh… think you had some kind of… breakdown."

"How so?" Neal asked confused.

"We know you were bullied a lot, and it looks like you sort-of snapped." Henry explained. "Someone drugged Tommy Jackson and attacked Melissa Harrison at her house. Do you remember any of this?"

"Oh God." Neal said tearfully. "I remember hating them so much. Then voices told me to hurt them. Did I hurt them?"

"Nobody is seriously hurt." Henry said. "We came to find Tommy and found you here."

"I was so angry." Neal whispered. "They always bullied me. Tommy was the worst, but everyone just laughed at me. I remember seeing him. So you think I hurt him?"

"You weren't yourself." Tess replied. "Whatever happened, it's not entirely your fault."

"But stuff did happen." Henry added reluctantly. "Stuff we can't keep hidden. We need to inform the authorities about what happened."

"I understand." Neal said tearfully. "I don't understand how I could do the stuff you said. Am I a horrible person?"

"No, you're not." Henry replied saddened. "Everyone else is horrible. The people who bullied you, and the people who stood by and did nothing. You needed help and nobody saw it until it was too late. I'm sorry for that."

"Me too." Payton added.

Neal nodded slowly as he wiped away a tear while Henry grabbed his phone and walked away. Payton struggled to contain her tears as well. She hated how this was going to end. Neal was innocent, manipulated by the Goblins. Although Henry had technically told the truth about what happened, he had left out the magical part. It didn't seem fair that Neal would be forced to process this without knowing the truth. However, Payton also realized they needed to keep magic a secret. Perhaps this was for the best. They all waited in silence until they heard the sounds of sirens in the distance.

Xxx

The following few days at school, what happened over the weekend was all anyone could talk about. Nobody knew the truth about what really happened, though the story circulating was that Neal had a psychotic break, drugged Tommy and attacked Melissa. Everyone thought he was a bad guy. Payton did her best to ignore it all. When she was grabbing a book from her locker, she saw Sean heading her direction. He leaned against one of lockers.

"Hey." Sean said.

"Hi." Payton replied. "Any news?"

"They released Tommy from the hospital." Sean said. "They don't know what kind of drug it was, but they expect him to make a full recovery. He should be back in school in a few days."

"I'm glad." Payton said.

"So are we going to talk about what happened with us?" Sean asked. "Our kiss?"

"You remember?" Payton asked. "I didn't think it really meant something. There was so much crazy stuff going on."

"I remember." Sean said with a smile. "It was about the only good thing that happened. So I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me sometimes."

"You want to go on a date with me?" Payton asked nervously.

"Of course. You're amazing." Sean said. "Besides, I totally owe you a proper date for saving my life."

Payton felt a little flustered and did her best not to turn invisible. She told herself to be confident and pinched herself. "I would love to." She eventually said.

"Cool. I have to get to practice, but I'll call you." Sean replied.

Sean smiled at her before heading off to football practice. When he was gone, Payton could not help but giggle a little. Suddenly, she hear someone laughing and turned around. Isaac was standing behind her with an amused frown.

"Looks like the dress worked." Isaac remarked.

"I guess so." Payton replied. "How is your sister?"

"Oh, she's fine." Isaac said. "Nothing a little retail therapy can't fix. In fact, I think you need the same thing. After all, you will need something to wear on your date."

"And you're going to help me?" Payton asked with a frown.

"Of course." Isaac replied. "What are friends for?"

"Okay." Payton replied with a smile.

"Great, we'll go straight after school." Isaac replied. "Walk me to class?"

Payton wanted to say yes, but suddenly saw Henry and Tess walking on the courtyard. She had not talked to her cousin in days and figured it was about time. She needed to clear the air. "I would love to, but I have to talk to Henry. See you after school." She quickly said.

"See you later." Isaac replied and gave her a quick hug before walking away.

Payton headed over to Henry and sat down next to him on a bench. "We need to talk."

"Are you still angry with me?" Henry asked. "You know, for lying about what happened with Neal?"

"I was never angry with you. I'm angry with the situation." Payton replied. "It just feels so unfair that Neal has to go through this."

"I get where you're coming from, but you have to admit he is at least partly responsible." Tess reasoned. "He was tricked, but the decision was still his."

"I know, it just sucks." Payton admitted. "Have you heard anything?"

"I overheard the teachers talking." Henry said. "Apparently, Neal has been admitted to the psychiatric ward in the hospital. He is getting treatment for what they believe was some kind of psychosis."

"I just hope he will be able to put this behind him at some point." Payton replied. "He deserves a fresh start."

"I know." Henry replied. "I think his parents will send him to another school. Hopefully, people won't be as cruel there."

"I think people are cruel everywhere." Tess said. "It's sort-of who you are."

"I don't believe that." Payton replied. "I think people are ultimately good. We just have to get through high school before realizing it."

"I hope you're right." Tess said. "I need to get going. Are we meeting up tonight?"

"Definitely." Henry replied.

Tess smiled and walked away, leaving the cousins alone on the bench. Payton knew it was better not to get involved, but she could not resist.

"So you and Tess…" She remarked suggestively.

"It's not serious." Henry replied. "We're just having fun. She wanted to experience human life."

"You're not bothered by the lies or the fact that she's not even human?" Payton asked.

"Payton, we're witches." Henry remarked dryly. "Not to mention I'm half Whitelighter and you're half Cupid."

"Right, but her true form is only a few inches high and had butterfly wings." Payton replied. "Also, she is sort-of immortal."

"Like I said, we're just having fun." Henry said.

"Okay, suit yourself." Payton replied. "I have to get going anyway. I need to go shopping for a date."

Payton smiled when she saw her cousin looking confused and walked away. As she headed to her last class of the day, she stopped to look at the school newspaper. When she picked one up, she saw Neal's name at the bottom of every picture taken. She always thought she was the invisible one, though she now realized she was not alone. Whatever was going to happen with Neal, she hoped his life would get better now. Just as she was finally becoming visible, she had faith that it would one day happen to him as well.

Xxx

The End


End file.
